Philadelphia-Area Watercolors by T. H. Wilkinson.

Canadian artist Thomas
Harrison Wilkinson (1847-1929) visited Philadelphia
in the late 19th century, although details of that trip are not
yet well documented. His interest seems to have been in early sites,
many in Germantown and elsewhere on the colonial city's periphery, as well as in the neighborhoods along the edges of the 18th-century city's core that had since become dense, bustling enclaves for immigrant communities.

Most of the views illustrated here were once held
by Samuel Castner, Jr. (1843-1929), and were listed in the catalogue
of his "Historical Collection," posthumously auctioned
in March 1943. Many of the watercolors still bear the pasted-on
identifying numbers from that auction, used below. Inscriptions
within the paintings are reported in quotation marks below, while
others are titled as they appeared in the 1943 auction catalogue or supplied.

The views are variously matted, unmatted, or framed, but the
images generally measure about 11 inches high by 16 across, with
some penciled identifying inscriptions below the image. Four
watercolors (82, 85, 94, 95) are inscribed in pencil below the
image as "copied," but the meaning of that is as yet
unclear.

These images have been made available for the website by two
private collectors, who reserve all rights for
republication, meaning that none would be permitted without their express
permission. The third set comes from the Castner Collection, in the Print and Picture Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, which must be contacted for permissions to reproduce those.

85. Randolph House.
[larger]
Private Collection, Philadelphia.
-- Also known as "Laurel Hill," in East Fairmount Park.
Built c. 1748, with octagonal addition in early 19th c. (HABS
PA-13).

87. Wagner House, Germantown.
[larger]
Private Collection, Philadelphia.
-- Also known as Mechlin-Wagner house, at 4840 Germantown Ave. Built
1747-48, and demolished 1917. Clippings in the Jane Campbell
Collection, HSP (32: 79-80, 194) help explain its inclusion here:
during the Revolutionary War the house served as a hospital,
and it was later "a mecca for visitors to Philadelphia.
The blood stains of the British wounded long remained a curious
spectacle, which aroused the curiosity of tourists from all parts
of the country."

91. The Jolly Post, 1680.
[larger]
Private Collection, Philadelphia.
-- A colonial inn on Main Street, Frankford. Reportedly built c.
1680, demolished 1912. Also known as the Jolly Post Boy Tavern,
it was the last change of horses for coaches on the southward
trip from New York City. It was owned from 1698 by John Worrell,
in 1768 by Joseph Thornhill, and in 1893 by Mrs. Joseph H. Comly.
(Joseph Jackson, Encyclopedia of Philadelphia, 3: 795).

94. Smith Mansion, on
Queen Lane, Germantown. [larger]
Private Collection, Philadelphia.
-- Also known as "Carlton," near Midvale and Stokley streets,
in Roxborough. Built c. 1780, with later additions, it was owned
by in the 18th century by Thomas Lee, then by John C. Craig,
who had the two wings added, and from 1840 through at least the
1880s by Cornelius S. Smith. Demolished 1951.

[x]. [Wayne's Quarters, Wayne, PA] [larger]
Matthew & Katherine Forester Collection, Wayne, PA
-- The Joseph and Sarah Walker house, Wayne's Quarters, was built in 1757. Sarah (Thomas) Walker was "Mad" Anthony Wayne's cousin and a beloved member of the local Quaker community. Wayne, a Brigadier General at the time of the Valley Forge encampment, must have convinced the pacifist Welsh Quakers to allow the Continental Army to use the house. During Valley Forge, the Walker House was Headquarters for Wayne's Division, comprising eight Pennsylvania regiments. It has been nearly continuously occupied since 1757. The lot also had a grist mill and a saw mill (to my delight, you can see it on this watercolor).
According to Walker family history, the Marquis de Lafayette was a frequent visitor to the house during the encampment. In June of 1778, shortly before the Continental Army left Valley Forge, a "grand entertainment" was held for the officers of the Continental Army, neighbors and members of the Masonic Fraternity. The guests of honor were George and Martha Washington. One of the officers who lived at the house with Wayne, Benjamin Fishbourne, has become a periodic footnote to American history. Fishbourne, Wayne's aide and officer, was one of the first Federal appointments of the Washington administration. Washington had appointed Fishbourne to the post of Superintendent of the Port of Savannah, Georgia, but was rebuffed by the Senator from Georgia. This case led to the tradition that Senators will give "advice and consent" to the President concerning appointments from their home state. Fishbourne's name is occasionally cited when a Presidential appointment faces a difficult confirmation. -- mlf, 2010.